Attachment for pianos



(No Model.)

J.R. LOM-A S. ATTACHMENT .FOR PIANOS.

Nd. 491,946. Patented Feb. 14, 1893.

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v -UNITED STATEs PATENT JOHN R. LOMAS,- OF WVEST HAVEN, ASSIGNOR TOBERNARD SHONINGER, OF

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

SPECZFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,946, dated February14, 1893.

Application filed July 11, 1892. Serial No. 439,581- (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. LOMAS, of Test Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new Improvement inPianissimo Attachments for Pianos; and I do hereby declare thefollowing, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and theletters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a perspective view of the mechanism, the parts at the leftbroken away. Fig. 2, a vertical section cutting just at the left of thepedal N. Fig. 3, a transverse section cutting at the left of the pedalS, representing the pedal N, as in the locked position. Fig. 4 the sameas Fig. 3 illustrating the operation of the pedal S to unlock the pedalN.

This invention relates to an improvement in pianos, having for itsobject to provide a device by which at the pleasure of the performer aflexible flap may be introduced between the hammers and the wires, sothat the hammers will strike upon the flap instead of directly upon thewires, and thereby deaden the sound, such an arrangement being desirablefor practice when the full sound of the instrument is objectionable ordesirable to be suppressed, and the invention consists in the flapcombined with pedals, whereby at the pleasure of the performer the flapmay be brought into position between the hammers and the wire, or takentherefrom, and as more fully hereinafter described.

In the illustration A, represents the upper bar, and B, the lower bar ofa frame to which the wires C, are attached in the usual manner.

D, represents the bar to which the hammers are hung, E, representing onehammer. The hammers are operated by keys in the usual manner, thatmechanism not being shown.

F, represents a longitudinal bar, which is carried by arms G, pivoted attheir lower end upon a stationary pivot 1-1, and so that the bar mayswing toward or from the wires, as from the position in Fig. 2, to theposition represented in broken lines same figure, and return. The bar F,carries a flap I, of flexi- 5o ble material, which as the bar swingstoward the wires, brings the flap onto the wires at a point where thehammers strike, and as seen in broken lines Fig. 2, but when the bar isturned away to its normal position, as seen in Fig. 2, the hammers whenthrown, pass below the flap, so as to strike the wires, as usual,

I and without interference with the flap. When the flap is upon thewires the hammers strike directly on the flap, and the flap lying uponthe wires so receives the blow of the hammer as to soften or deaden thesound of the wires. For practice, particularly in the case of beginners,this softening is very desirable. To throw the flap into and out of itsoperative position, a lever J, is hung to the bar D, upon a pivot K.From one arm of the lever J, a connecting rod L is hung to the bar, asat M, and so that as that end of the lever is raised,

it will throw the bar forward, as indicated in Fig. 2; when that arm ofthelever is depressed, it will force the bar rearward, and so as tobring the flap directly upon the wires, as seen in broken lines Fig. 2.

N, represents the muffling pedal, which is hung between its ends, andfrom the inner end 7 5 of the pedal a rod 0, extends up below the otherarm of the lever J, and so that as that lever is depressed, it willraise the said other arm, and cause the bar F, with the flap to bethrown against the wires, and as represented in broken lines Fig. 2. Tohold the pedal thus depressed and the bar F, in the operating position,a latch-block P is hung near the pedals, here represented as by hingesQ, and so that the said block may rock backward and forward, and beneaththe block in rear of the hinges is a spring R, the tendency of which isto turn the block forward against the inner end of the pedal N, and sothat when the pedal N, is depressed, as represented in broken lines Fig.2, the latch-block will, by its spring R, be turned forward beneath theinner end of the pedal, and so as to lock the pedal in that depressedposition with the bar F, and its flap against the wires. To throw 5 thelatch-block P, out of such engagement when it is desired to remove theflap, a releasing pedal S, is hung like the pedal N, its inner endforward of the latch-block, and so that as the latch-block springsforward, as be- Icc fore described its front side will bear against andoverhang the inner end of the pedal S, as

seen in Fig. 3, then by depressing the pedal S, as from the positionseen in Fig. 3, to that seen in Fig. 4, the inner end of the pedal Swill operate against the front side of the latch-block P, as a cam, andso as to turn the latch-block rearward from the position seen, in Fig.3, to that seen in Fig. 4, and so as to permit the pedal N, to escapetherefrom, and so escaping, a spring T, will operate upon the lever J,to force the inner end of the pedal downward and return the'bar F andits flap to its normal position away from the wires. The pedal S mayalso be used, if desired, as one of the regular pedals of theinstrument, and probably will be so used. By this arrangement theperformer may at any time by the operation of the foot, throw thepedal-bar and its flap against the'wire, and so as to con tinueplayingwithout producing any consider-; able degree of sound, the flapbeing held in; its working position without any effort of the performer,for the reason that the flap-bar is locked so soon as it is thrown toits operating position, and whenever it is desired to withdraw the flap,the other pedal S, is depressed accordingly.

I am aware that it is old to provide for muffling pianos by means of aflexible flap constructed and arranged to be temporarily interposedbetween the wires or strings of the instrument and the hammers thereof,and controlled by the mechanism operated by the pedals. I-am also awarethat it is old to'loek a pedal in its operating position and to providefor releasing it and restoring it to its normal position. Ido nottherefore claim any of those constructions broadly, but,

Having fully described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent is In a mufiiing device for pianos, the combination with thewires and hammers thereof, of a bar constructed and arranged to be movedtoward and away from the wires, a flexible 'flapattached to the said barand adapted to pass between the hammers and the wires when the bar ismoved toward the latter, a muflling-pedal pivoted between its ends,connections between the inner end of the said pedal and the said bar,whereby the bar is moved toward the wires when the outer end under theinner end of the mufflingpedal when the outer end of the same isdepressed,

substantially as set forth, and whereby. the

depression-of the outer end of the releasing pedal swings thelatch-block backward against the force of the said spring,-and'clearsits upper edge from the innerend of the muitling- 1 pedal whichthenreturns to placewhen the barxmoves away from the wires.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN R. LOMAS.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, Gno. D. SEYMOUR.

